Beaumont Lodge Primary School

Beaumont Lodge Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 120087 Local Authority Leicester City Inspection number 358690 Inspection dates 7–8 March 2011 Reporting inspector Terry McDermott

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 202 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kim Kent Headteacher Dawn Solla Date of previous school inspection 18 November 2008 School address Astill Lodge Road Beaumont Leys, Leicester LE4 1DT Telephone number 0116 2366925 Fax number 0116 2366823 Email address office@beaumontlodge.leicester.sch.uk

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Age group 3–11 Inspection dates 7–8 March 2011 Inspection number 358690 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the documentation in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to 'Subscribe'. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. The inspectors visited 18 lessons, observing eight teachers, all of whom were seen at least twice. They also observed some sessions where pupils were withdrawn for additional support. They held meetings with groups of pupils, staff and members of the governing body. They observed the school's work, and looked at its methods for tracking pupils' progress, at a range of school documents, including its policies, minutes of governing body meetings, monitoring records, an extensive sample of pupils' work, and reports from the School Improvement Partner. Thirty-two responses from parents or carers to the Ofsted questionnaire were received and considered, along with questionnaires completed by staff and pupils. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.  Inspectors explored the causes of the apparently inadequate progress made by

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Introduction

pupils in Year 6 in 2010, and checked if the actions necessary to prevent a recurrence of this in 2011 have been taken.  They considered if the school's leaders have the necessary knowledge, drive and ambition to enable the school to move forward without external support.  They looked at whether teaching is good enough throughout the school to ensure that pupils are making at least satisfactory progress.

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Information about the school

Beaumont Lodge is a broadly average-sized primary school. An above-average percentage of pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils of minority ethnic heritage is average. The proportion of pupils for whom English is an additional language is broadly average, though few are at the early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is average, though the proportion with a statement of special educational need is above average. The headteacher has been in post for three years but there have been a number of other changes to the leadership team since the last inspection.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main findings

This is a satisfactory school. It is improving rapidly under the strong and purposeful leadership of the headteacher. The acceleration in recent times has been appreciable as particular staff skills have been thoughtfully and effectively deployed. The apparent sudden drop in the progress of pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2010 was due to a combination of circumstances including: a very significant change in the pupil population; a marked reduction in the size of the cohort; staff illness and absence; and inaccurate measures of pupils starting points. Pupils currently in Year 6 are on track to reach higher standards than in previous years, from a lower starting point. Pupils' achievement is satisfactory. Children join the school with standards below those expected for their age. At the end of Year 6, attainment in English and mathematics is slightly below average. Strong indications of improving learning and progress are evident,

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Main findings

particularly for older pupils. The legacy of slow progress caused by poor teaching in the past still affects the long-term achievement of some pupils. Inspection evidence shows that whilst many pupils are now learning well and making good progress, the learning of a minority is only satisfactory because of inconsistencies across the school. This extends to the Early Years Foundation Stage where children progress at different rates in Reception class and in the Nursery. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve well. All other groups of pupils make at least satisfactory progress, including more-able pupils, those from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language. Pupils and their families are well known to staff. Links between school and home are strong. Support for pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable is good, and this allows them to take a full part in what the school has to offer. Pupils have good attitudes

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Main findings

to learning in lessons, built successfully on strong foundations of respect and tolerance established by all adults in the school. Teaching is improving and though satisfactory, it is sometimes outstanding. Teaching is less effective when teachers give extended explanations, to which pupils listen politely, instead of letting them find things out for themselves. Good assessment arrangements give an accurate picture of what pupils know and can do, but this information is not always used to best effect when planning work in lessons. This slows pupils' progress. The recently reorganised curriculum is providing many pupils with opportunities to apply previous learning across a range of subjects, but its full effectiveness is unproven. Leaders in the Early Years Foundation Stage, new to their role, are improving the planning of activities. Outdoor facilities are not used to best effect to further children's learning.

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Main findings

Self-evaluation is accurate because the school measures its effectiveness objectively against pupils' achievement. Evaluation of learning across the school is reliable, and the

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

school has a clear picture of its weaknesses, which are being addressed in turn. The school has good capacity to secure further improvements. About 40% of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the rate at which pupils learn in lessons by: reducing the time pupils spend listening to explanations at the start of each lesson increasing the opportunities pupils have to learn independently through investigation, discussion and problem solving ensuring that work is planned which more accurately meets the learning needs of individual pupils.  Increase the effectiveness of the curriculum by: ensuring that all pupils have many opportunities to practise the skills they have learned in one subject across a range of other subjects checking closely that pupils are making good enough progress in subjects other than English and mathematics.  Improve outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage by: ensuring that full use is made of outdoor spaces and resources to inspire, secure and consolidate children's learning dovetailing the planning of activities taking place in Nursery and Reception

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

classes so that all children gain maximum benefit from a well-balanced range of teacher-led and self-chosen activities.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Achievement is satisfactory rather than good because the pace of learning varies between classes. Pupils pay good attention in lessons, do as they are asked, and demonstrate good respect for each other's views. They sustain concentration well and persevere with tasks they are set. They respond with enthusiasm well when given opportunities to work independently. For example, Year 4 pupils became completely involved with using mirrors and folding paper to work out lines of symmetry in a range of objects or pictures, and passionately gave full explanations to the rest of the class in order to test their hypotheses. In a Year 3 lesson, pupils were busily engaged collecting and collating data from a range of sources. They discussed and argued over their findings in their respective groups, using appropriate technical language, for the most part working without direct intervention from adults. On the other hand, when pupils have to sit passively listening for

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

extended periods, they inevitably lose concentration and their learning slows. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make better progress than their classmates because of the skilled and dedicated support they receive. For example, their learning in numeracy greatly exceeds national expectation because of small group tuition.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Pupils say they enjoy coming to school, not least because the well-run breakfast club gets many of them off to a good start. They say that they feel safe here, and can explain convincingly why this is so. They say that bullying is rare, though they know what to do if it does occur. In their view, other pupils, 'usually the younger ones', are simply 'getting a bit excited'. They enjoy taking on responsibility whether as 'red hat' play leaders, as reading buddies for younger pupils, as assembly 'spotters', as librarians, or as avid recyclers. The strong community spirit in the school is exemplified through links with the church, industry, the local high school, family learning days, fashion shows, and a plethora of other well-supported activities. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Their thoughtful views informed and prompted the school's work to extend contacts with dissimilar schools in the city and further afield in Africa. This work is

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

underpinned by sensitive discussion in lessons, and opportunities for reflection in assemblies. When they leave school at the end of Year 6, pupils are well mannered, considerate and confident young citizens, satisfactorily prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 3

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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3

Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹

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The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4

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How effective is the provision?

The open plan nature of the building necessitates that classrooms are calm and well ordered. They are, because relationships between pupils and adults are good, and pupils fully understand the need to respect the rights of others. Pupils listen carefully to

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

instructions or guidance from the teacher and to each other's views. This enables them to offer confident explanations which add to learning, without the fear of ridicule if they get something wrong. In the best lessons, a range of challenging work is set to encourage pupils to think for themselves. The pace of learning in these lessons is good. This is particularly the case for the oldest pupils in the school who are catching up rapidly from missed learning in previous years. In a minority of lessons, learning is only satisfactory because work is either not planned in enough detail to present sufficient challenge to all pupils, or lessons do not get pupils involved in active learning quickly enough. Nonetheless, the quality of teaching is improving strongly, and all lessons seen during the inspection were at least satisfactory. The curriculum has recently been changed to link subjects together in themes. This is

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

encouraging pupils to develop the skills they have learned in one subject by applying them in another. This new way of working is not fully employed across the school. Procedures for measuring pupils' progress in subjects such as art, geography, French and physical education are not consistently in place. A good range of enrichment activities, including a modern foreign language for pupils in Key Stage 2, music from different cultures, and residential visits for Years 5 and 6, helps pupils to gain a good understanding of the world in which they live. This reinforces their consistently good personal development as they learn to respect diversity in all its forms. Regular and reliable recording of pupils' personal development provides the school with information which is used sensitively to address any personal issues which arise. The effectiveness of the internal actions taken by the school to overcome difficulties is

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

measured accurately. Adults know the pupils well and are trusted by them, and by their families. The support provided for pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable is strong. This is well exemplified in the thriving breakfast club. The school takes prompt action to recruit additional professional support to meet particular needs, or when circumstances go beyond its own expertise.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching 3

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

The senior leaders are a new and effective team with complementary skills and attributes. They are leading the school forward purposefully and successfully. They have successfully created a good staff team, whose morale is high. Other leaders throughout the school share a common focus on school improvement, though their involvement in checking on the quality of pupils' learning is inconsistent.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Governance is satisfactory. Members of the governing body are committed to the school and give generously of their time. Nonetheless, they have not held the school to account for its academic outcomes with sufficient rigour in recent times. The governing body meets its statutory responsibilities. Safeguarding requirements are met well. The school takes its responsibilities for child protection and safeguarding very seriously, and its quality assurance procedures exceed national guidance. The promotion of pupils' individual interests is clearly at the heart of its work. There is no bias, discrimination, or oppression in this inclusive school because pupils recognise and celebrate diversity so well. The promotion of equal opportunities is satisfactory, however, because there are variations in pupils' academic progress. Parents and carers now hold the school in good regard for the quality of its work in ensuring the welfare and personal development of their children. The

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

school's provision for community cohesion is good. Its audit recognised opportunities for improvement both nationally and internationally to underpin its already strong internal and local dimensions. These have been followed up with rigour. They have led to visits by groups of pupils to a school with a different profile across the city, e-mail communication, and visits by an adult to a school in Kenya.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for leadership and management

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2

Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years Foundation Stage has faced significant staffing difficulties recently. An inexperienced but skilful new leader has taken up post and has quickly identified what needs to improve. Actions to secure these improvements have begun. Children often join the Nursery class with knowledge and skills below what is normally expected for their age in most areas of learning. This is particularly the case in communication, language and literacy, calculating, and some aspects of their personal, emotional and social development. Good links with parents and carers ensure that children

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

settle quickly into a happy and caring environment. Adults provide good role models from which children quickly learn how to play and work together. Consequently, children behave well, sharing their thoughts, ideas and toys harmoniously, and take good care of each other. This secure foundation is the basis for the strong personal and social development that is sustained as children move through the school. Despite these important strengths, children make satisfactory progress overall because Nursery and Reception classes do not fully coordinate their planning, and this has allowed gaps to appear in children's learning. Inspectors observed significant variations in practice, and in children's progress in lessons, when best use was not made of all aspects of provision. This was more prevalent in Nursery than in Reception. Leadership and management are satisfactory. Members of the new leadership team are growing into their

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

roles. New leaders are focusing on bringing greater challenge to children's learning. Assessment is frequent and objective, and gathers information for teachers to plan for the immediate next steps of learning. Sometimes, the work subsequently planned does not cover those activities which children choose for themselves. Adults take good care of all the children and welfare requirements are met.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Views of parents and carers

A smaller proportion of parents and carers than is usual responded to the Ofsted questionnaire. They expressed very strongly positive views about the school. A small minority had concerns about how well the school deals with unacceptable behaviour. Inspectors explored this but saw only good behaviour. The many pupils inspectors spoke with did not feel that their learning was held up by poor behaviour.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Beaumont Lodge Primary School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school. The inspection team received 32 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 202 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 26 81 6 19 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 22 69 10 31 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 16 50 16 50 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 17 53 15 47 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 16 50 16 50 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 14 44 18 56 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 15 47 17 53 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 12 38 18 56 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 11 34 20 63 1 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 10 31 17 53 5 16 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 14 44 16 50 2 6 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 13 41 19 59 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 20 63 12 38 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2009 to 31 August 2010 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2009/10 was not representative of all sc hools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

 The school's capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Beaumont Lodge Primary School, Leicester, LE4 1DT

Thank you for being so friendly and helpful to us when we inspected your school recently. We were really impressed with your good attitudes to learning in class. We found that Beaumont Lodge is a satisfactory school, but one which is improving quickly. At the moment, it is helping you to make satisfactory progress, but for more and more of you, progress is good. All adults in the school work hard to keep you safe and happy. We also found that the school could do some things better, which would help you learn more than you already do. We have asked the teachers, and those who lead the school, to do the following:  make sure that the work you are given in lessons is neither too hard nor too easy, and give you more time to work through difficult problems for yourselves  use themes and topics more widely in the curriculum (that is what you are given to learn about) to give you more exciting opportunities to use what you already know

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Inspection of Beaumont Lodge Primary School, Leicester, LE4 1DT

in a range of different circumstances  make sure that the Nursery and Reception classes work more closely together so that everybody can have the same experiences and chances to learn well. You can help the school to improve by letting teachers know if the work they have set for you is either too easy or too hard, and by continuing to be the polite and sensible young people you already are. May I give you all my best wishes for the future.

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www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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